Improvement in hydrants



' UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.l

DEWITT C. CREGIER, OFV CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRANTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DEWITT C. CREGIER, ot Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin I-Iydrants; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon.

' Figure l is a Vertical section through the hydrant. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, and Fig. .3 is a section of a po-rtion on a larger scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures. Y

The nature of myinvention consists in the arrangement of a supplementaryvalve below the main valve, and operated independently thereof byapositive mechanism both in opening and closing in such a manner thatthe supplementary valve maybe made to shut oit the Water while the mainvalve or the whole hydrant is being repaired, and whether the pressureof the water be sufciently great to support the Weight of the valve ornot; also in the arrangement of parts for operating the saidsupplementary valve.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation by the aid of thedrawings.

A is the receptacle for the branch from the street-main in the usualform.

K is the case of the hydrant, and N the nozzle for the application ofthe fire-hose.

B is a valve opening downward and operated by the stem C, which passesthrough a stuiiing-box G in the top of the hydrant. The upper end of Cis hollow and contains a female screw, as represented. iVit-hin this ascrew D is iitted, which screw may be rotated by the handle D', and isprevented from having any end motion by the bridge E, through which itpasses. TherodC is prevented from revolving with D by a guide-pin H,passing through an ear thereon, as represented. By rotating the screw D,therefore, the valve B is lowered or raised and the water let on or shutoff at pleasure. All these parts perform the functions of similar partsin ordinary hydrants In the recess represented at the base of the drantor the valve B.

hydrant I mount a valve I, upon a hollow stem t, the exterior of whichstem carries a screw-thread itting a female screw a in thev metal of thehydrant. A square hole rl extends through the valve Il and nearly thewhole length ot t'. The end of the rod C is squared, as shown by C', andextends into the hole 1l', as represented, so that if C is turned on itsaxis it will also turn I 5 but C is free to move up and down to therequired extent without affecting I, and vice versa. Above the openinginto A, I place a valve-seat J, which is made to accurately iit I whenthe latter is in theposition shown in the red outline.

Immediately over the seat of the valve B, I place a small tube L,opening outward and communicating with the interior of K by a valve m.The stem of this valve projects below the tube L, and is presseddownward by a rubber spring, as represented. The length of this stem issuch that when the valve B is raised to its seat it strikes the end of'the stem and opens the valve m, thus allowing the water remaining aboveB to waste. IVhen, however, the valve B is opened the valve m is shut bythe spring on its stem and kept closed by the pressure of the water.

The object of the valve I is to afford av means of shutting ott thewater when it is necessary from any cause to repair the hy- To effectthis the valve B is rst depressed slightly by turning D. Then the pinl-I is removed and inserted in the holes Ff provided for that purpose.On again turning the handle D the valve B is now no longer raised orlowered by such action, but revolves with D and C around the axis of C.This, bythe action of C Within t", causes I also to revolve, and by theaction of the screw on the stem to beaelevated into the position shownin red lines, shutting off all communication with the` opening` A. Nowby simply loosening the bolts 1 2 3 the hydrant K, with the valve B, rodC C', and all the other appendages, may be removedand repaired. Inreplacing it, the end C of C is inserted in the hole t" in I, the boltsl 2 3 replaced, and the valve I screwed back to its former position. Thepin H is then replaced and the hydrant is in order for working.

In case of an emergency, or in very cold weather, when there is dangerof the water becoming frozen at a point as high as the valve B, thevalve I may be used in place of valve B with equal facility by adding aWaste nearer the valve I; but its chief use is when the hydrant requiresrepairs, which may be done without breaking ground,provided it isinclosed in a boX of suflicient size to allow the bolts l 2 3 to beoperated.

The usual mode of shutting oil. the water to remove or repair a hydrantis to close stopvalves in the street-main, which are often at aconsiderable distance on each side of the defective hydrant. Thisexcludes the Water from a considerable section of the city and occasionsgreat inconvenience. To obviate this evil, in some cities stop-cocks areplaced in the main or branch near each hydrant, which occasions mucheXtra expense. An invention has been patented in which a stopcock in thebranch pipe may be operated by a rod at the side of the hydrant; butthis involves an addition to or enlargement of the hydrant-box, and isobjectionable on this account, as also on the account of the difficultyof preventing such eXtra cock from being deranged or shut by anincendiary or other mischievous person. My invention avoids ali thesedifficulties. It allows the hydrant to present its Ordinary appearance,covers the access to the supplementary valve by the same protectionwhich covers the access to the ordinary or main valve.

The opening` of the Waste-valve m is positive, not depending on springsor the Weight of the Water, so that the valve B cannot be l shut Withoutallowing all the Water above it to Waste. This is important as asafeguard against freezing up in Wint-er.

I amaware that a supplemental valve has heretofore been used in hydrantsoperated simultaneouslywith the main valve and held in position by thepressure of the Water when the main valve is removed, and I therefore donot claim such arrangement; but, so far as I am aware, no such valve hasbeen arranged toV be operated independently of the action 0f the mainvalve or of the pressure of the water in the main, as herein described.Therefore,

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the supplementary valve I immediately below andoperated in both directions by a positive motion independently of themain Valve B, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. The combination and arrangement of the female screw a, fixed to orcut in the portion A, the valves B and I, rod C, end C', correspondinghole i', screw-thread t', and removable pin I-I, substantially as andfor the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

DEWITT C. CREGIER. Witnesses: B. F. WALKER, F. WELLS.

